Sail of century – Geoff Holt’s Atlantic voyage

Published: 7 October, 2010
by JAMIE WELHAM

INSPIRATIONAL yachtsman Geoff Holt spoke at a special fund-raising evening at Euston law firm Hodge Jones & Allen this week.

Mr Holt was just 18 when he was paralysed in a swimming accident in 1984, leaving him confined to a wheelchair. He has since campaigned tirelessly to encourage more people with disabilities to take up sailing, becoming an ambassador for disability sport.

He spoke to a packed audience at the firm’s North Gower Street offices about the highs and lows of what he called his “personal Everest” – a solo voyage across the Atlantic Ocean last year on his yacht Impossible Dream. The 2,700-mile trip took 28 days, finishing on the same Caribbean beach where he broke his neck 25 years ago.

The event raised money for the Spinal Injuries Association, which is the charity of the year for Hodge Jones & Allen.